Progressives Launch 'Protect The Squad' Initiative Amidst Rising Pressure

The "Protect The Squad" website, recently launched by the progressive PAC Justice Democrats, is connected to the Democratic fundraising powerhouse ActBlue. This move is the latest attempt to shield a group of progressive legislators who have encountered bipartisan criticism for their strong criticism of Israel following the unexpected attack by Hamas on October 7.

The website states, "Every member of the Squad is up for re-election this year, and five of these young, working-class, Black and brown progressives are facing serious threats to their U.S. House seats: Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib." It further adds, "With right-wing megadonor-funded groups like AIPAC and Moderate PAC threatening to drop upwards of $100 million on attack ads and hand-picked challengers to unseat these Squad members, we need to come together to combat their attacks with the power of our grassroots movement."

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April 18, 2024

Among the "Squad" members mentioned, which notably does not include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., an original member of the group, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is the only one not currently facing a primary challenger. The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a pro-Israel organization that collaborates with both Republicans and Democrats to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and its Middle Eastern ally. AIPAC is investing heavily in this election cycle to support pro-Israel candidates and has endorsed primary challengers to Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Jamaal Bowman D-N.Y.

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Tlaib announced on Instagram this week that "Protect The Squad" aims to raise $100 million by April 30. "Our Squad is strong, but our movement is under attack from GOP-funded corporate Super PACs," Tlaib wrote. "Together-for Palestine, for workers, for abortion rights, for LGBTQ+ people, for democracy-we're unstoppable. We're coming together to raise $100K for them all, chip in now!"

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The issue of Israel has exposed long-standing divisions within the Democratic Party, especially after October 7. However, an increasing number of left-leaning lawmakers have been growing more critical of Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza.